- Jade Buddha Temple
The Jade Buddha Temple (zh-cp|c=玉佛禅寺|p=Yùfó Chán Sì, literally "Jade Buddha Chan Temple") is a Buddhist
temple inShanghai ,China . As with most modern Chinese Buddhist temples, the current temple draws from both thePure Land and Chan traditions ofMahayana Buddhism. It was founded in 1882 with twojade Buddha statues imported toShanghai fromBurma by sea. These were a sitting Buddha (1.95metre s tall, 3ton nes), and a smaller reclining Buddha representing Buddha's death. The temple now also contains a much larger reclining Buddha made of marble, donated from Singapore, and visitors may mistake this larger sculpture for the original, smaller piece.History
During the rule of emperor
Guang Xu in theQing Dynasty (1875-1908),Hui Gen , an abbot fromMount Putuo went on a pilgrimage toTibet via the two famous Chinese mountainsMount Wutai andMount Emei . After Tibet, he arrived in Burma. Whilst there, Mr. Chen Jun-Pu, anoverseas Chinese resident in Burma, donated five Jade statues of Buddha to Hui Gen, who transported two of them back to Jiang-wan, Shanghai. Here Hui Gen had a temple built with donated funds, and died shortly thereafter. This temple was occupied during the 1911 uprising, and the statues were moved to Maigen Road.An Abbot by the name of
Ke Chen later had a new temple built on land donated by a Mr. Shen. The construction took ten years, and lasted from 1918-1928. Ke Chen also invited ReverendDi Xian fromTian Tai mountain to come and lecture on Buddhism in a magnificent ceremony.In 1956, a ceremony was held at the temple by the
Shanghai Buddhist Association to celebrate the 2500th anniversary ofGautama Buddha 's enlightenment.In 1966, during the
Cultural Revolution , the monks made a living by selling handicrafts.In 1983,
Shanghai Institute of Buddhism was established at the temple under the Shanghai Buddhist Association.In 1985, Monk
Zhizhi Xuan and others made a trip toDunhuang viaXinjiang . Shortly after their return, regular scripture lectures, meditation and other features of temple life were resumed.Abbots
*?-1942 Abbot
Yuan Chen
*1942-? MonkZhen Hua (d. 1944, age 39)Modern temple layout
Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings
The Chamber of
Four Heavenly Kings contains the statues ofMaitreya , Wei Tuo Bodhisattva and the Four Heavenly Kings, who represent favorable circumstance. The chamber is located on the southern-edge, or 'front' of the temple.Grand Hall
Also called the Great Hall, this hall contains many statues.
*Three Golden Buddhas. The central sculpture is ofGautama Buddha , the leftAmitabha and the rightBhaisajyaguru .
*Gods of the Twenty Heavens. TheGods of the Twenty Heavens , covered in gold, line the eastern and western sides of the Grand Hall.
*18 Arhats. 18 unique goldenArhat s stand in two groups of nine.
*Guanyin, Shen Cai and his 53 teachers. A large golden statue ofGuanyin stands on at northern entrance to the Great Hall, with Shen Cai at her side and sculptures representing the 53 teachers of his life above.Jade Buddha Chamber
The Jade Buddha Chamber is in the northern section of the temple, on the second floor. A fee of 10 yuan is charged to ascend to it. Some additional Buddhist sculptures are also viewable in the antechamber.
Public restaurant
The public restaurant is located on level two at the eastern edge of the temple and equipped with its own street entrance. Open daily, it serves a range of noodle dishes for five yuan per bowl, the most popular of which is 'double mushroom noodles' (双菇面). Other dishes are served at moderate prices. Tickets are sold by color and this ticket is turned in inside the main eating room and your soup is then delivered to your table which you might share with others. Upstairs is a much more upscale restaurant at much higher prices.
Other
The temple also contains a private restaurant for the use of monks and temple volunteers, which is at the western edge of the temple complex. There is a visitor services office adjacent to the southern entrance, and a Buddhist library is also on the premises.
References
* 玉佛禅寺. 1989. ISBN 7-80071-117-X/G.65
External links
* [http://www.yufotemple.com/intro/intro.htm Jade Buddha Temple Official Website] (Chinese)
* [http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/jade_temple.htm Travel Guide (In English)]
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